Documentary on Newstalk

Today half the world’s population live in cities and it is estimated that 3 in 4 people will live in cities by 2050. In a new radio documentary, ‘The Right to a City’ Newstalk presenter and producer Susan Cahill explores how cities in Africa are planning for urban resilience.

‘The Right to a City’ will ask – what is a resilient and sustainable city?

Susan will walk listeners through cities and informal housing settlements in Ethiopia, South Africa and Sierra Leone and will highlight how rapid population growth is impacting on urban infrastructure and services in the region – especially for the poor and marginalised.

‘The Right to a City’ will ask - What is the impact of rapid urbanisation on Africa and how has uncontrolled urbanization coupled with increasing rural to urban migration patterns exacerbated poverty, hunger and marginalization in urban centres in Africa?

LISTEN LIVE: ‘The Right to a City' broadcast on Newstalk on Saturday the 18th of May 2019 from 9pm to 10pm and will be repeated on Sunday the 19th of May 2019 from 7am to 8am.  

CREDITS: ‘The Right to a City’ radio documentary is produced and presented by Susan Cahill and was made with the support of Irish Aid and the Simon Cumbers Media Challenge Fund.

Key Documentary Contributors

Professor Philip Harrison, School of Architecture and Planning, University of Witswatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Nhlanhla Sibisi, Climate and Energy Campaigner, Greenpeace, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Muzi Mkhwanazi, Spokesperson, Pikitup Waste Management, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Jermina Nkoana, Community Worker & Resident of Diepsloot Township, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Caroline Reas, Senior Programme Manager, 100 Resilient Cities, London, UK.

Mzwakhe Khumalo, Research Co-ordinator, Sonke Gender Justice, Diepsloot, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Mayor Yvonne Aki Sawyerr, City of Freetown, Sierra Leone.

Samuel Sesay, Project Coordinator, Slum Dwellers International/YMCA, Freetown, Sierra Leone.

Dr Joseph Macarthy, Executive Director, The Sierra Leone Urban Research Centre, Freetown, Sierra Leone

 

Newstalk documentary tells the story of young Irish emigrants who lived in London Squats during the 1980’s and 90’s.

In The Squat Generation, Producer and presenter Magi Scully takes a trip down memory lane with fellow Irish teenagers who squatted in London in the 1980’s and 90’s. From finding and fixing up homes to running gigs, recording albums and putting on art exhibitions, the free accommodation facilitated an alternative, anarchic and creative way of life…

The ‘The Squat Generation’ covers themes including music, art, work, education, squat hunting, evictions, legal proceedings and political activism.

Documentary maker Magi Scully and contributors were among the thousands of teenagers who fled the economic depression and social repression of Ireland in the 80’s and went to London in search of work. Due to the abundance of empty council houses and old English laws, squatting was legal and a major scene had exploded in the capital between the 1970’s and 90’s.

“ I was a lovely tidy respectful girl, who took great care of the property and often enhanced it and made a house a home”, recalls poet and performer Venus Cúmara who accidentally discovered squatting.

Eugene Connolly was sent over to play hurling for the GAA, moved into a squat and got a good job in the BBC World Service. In the rival stations ITN and Channel Four News, squatter Magi Scully tutored English newscastersincluding Trevor Mc Donald on the pronunciation of Charlie Haughey.

Niamh O’Reilly and a bunch of Goth friends were leaving cert students from Rathmines who moved to a squat in Hampstead.  Building site worker Huw O’ Toole qualified as an architect and Dun Laoighre Punk band This Eternal Waiting recorded an album in their squat home studio. Killian Mc Liamearned money posing with his punk hairdo in Trafalgar Square.

Pic: Killian McLiam, Camden Lock.

Pic: Frank O'Neill, Martha Sommerville, Donnagh O'Leary of This Eternal Waiting

London squatting was more than a free place to live it was a way of life that enabled many artists to thrive including Boy George, Ian Drury, Bob Geldof and Joe Strummer.

BROADCAST DETAILS: 

The Squat Generation was broadcast at 9:00 pm, Saturday 27 April, 2019, and repeated 7am, Sunday 28 April, 2019 on Newstalk 106-108fm

PODCAST: Following broadcast, the podcast will be available at:

http://www.newstalk.com/documentaryonnewstalk

https://soundcloud.com/magiscully

CREDITS:

The Squat Generation was produced and presented by Magi Scully This programme was funded by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland with the Television Licence Fee.

The Following Contributors took part in ‘The Squat Generation’:

Poet & Performer Venus Cúmara - Venuscumara.com

Architect Huw O’Toole - @Jacksmill_hub13

Music Producer/Engineer Frank O’ Neill - thiseternalwaiting.bandcamp.com/

Music/Band Management Eugene Connolly

Artist / Musician John Adams - The Artist's House  (@ColiemoreArt)

DJ / Film Maker Killian Mc Liam

Photographer/ Film Executive Niamh O’ Reilly

Roadie / Handyman Denis O’ Toole – Official Luddite

Broadcaster/Writer Magi Scully - soundcloud/magiscully

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In our latest Documentary on Newstalk, Producer Patricia Baker tells the remarkable story of 700 female students from colleges in Oxford and Cambridge who travelled by steamboat to Trinity College Dublin in the early 1900s to collect their degrees…because their own universities refused to confer degrees upon women…IN Steamboat Ladies

Steamboat Ladies is the story of 700 female students from colleges in Oxford and Cambridge who travelled to Trinity College Dublin by Steamboat between 1904 -1907 to collect their degrees. They did this because their own universities refused to confer degrees upon women.

In 1904 Trinity College Dublin opened its doors for the first time to women students. This was a ground breaking move but it had unintended consequences. Between 1904 and 1907, 700 female students from colleges in Oxford and Cambridge travelled to Trinity to receive their degrees, because their own universities refused to confer degrees upon women. They travelled to Ireland by Steamboat. And as such became known as “the Steamboat Ladies”. These were pioneering women from the field of academia, science, and humanities, and they went on to have careers that began to shape the newly emerging role of women in politics and society.

The arrival of the Steamboat Ladies to Trinity was hugely significant. They brought with them an enormous wave of possibilities for women that is still felt today. Steamboat Ladies tells the remarkable story of these pioneering academics and by doing so explores the continuous battle for gender equality within academia.

“I think their story is untold, it is not known”  “We were shocked when we heard it, we thought that’s just a story, but it is real” “People who live in our area and go to our type of school, they thought they won’t make it, they won’t be able to go to college, they won’t achieve anything” “Just because we are women and we live around this area doesn't mean we cant achieve what we want to”. “The Steamboat Ladies did not have the opportunities that we have, so why shouldn't we take these opportunities”.  “They did not limit themselves so why should we limit ourselves”.  “It is normal for us to go to college because of people like them.” ‘The Mercy Girls’, 6th Year students from Mercy Secondary School Inchicore

“Trinity said, ‘we have opened our doors to women now, so for three years we will give degrees to women from Oxford and Cambridge who have successfully completed their degree examinations.’ I think they thought a few Irish girls who were not able to go to Trinity would apply. In the end 700 applied. So they were overwhelmed by all these young women - and not so young - coming over and doing this, and it turned into quite a big episode. It was very good for Trinity women, because they saw these academic women, proudly wearing their gowns and hoods, all professional women, and they said that is what women graduates can do.

“Most of them only came for one night, they would have been lecturers, they were working in school teaching or in public life. They took one day off, they came on the overnight Steamboat, stayed one night in Dublin, got their degrees the next day, and went back the following night. That is why they got nicknamed the Steamboat Ladies. You can imagine an invasion of all these women into Trinity, they came and they went.  They were always known, both here and in Oxford and Cambridge as the Steamboat Ladies. Emeritus Fellow Susan Parkes

“When I became a fellow of Trinity in 1968, to mark this occasion, the then Principle of Newnham, Cambridge, Dame Ruth Cowen, gave me one of the Steamboat Ladies gowns, to mark this event. It was a plain black gown. It was a gift from Cambridge to me personally. I thought that was really moving that they wanted to mark the full accession of women to all stages in Trinity, in gratitude for what Trinity had done for them.  These were very important women, in society, and in the world of learning, and it was extremely important that they should be recognised as such. Emeritus Professor Barbara Wright

 Note: 1968 was the year that Trinity eventually allowed women to become Professors and Barbara Wright was one of the first women to be appointed Professor.

CREDITS: Steamboat Ladies is a Curious Broadcast production It was narrated and produced by Patricia Baker, with edit and final mix by Gerry Horan at Contact Studio.  Music by Gerry Horan. The programme was funded by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland with the Television License Fee.

Steamboat Ladies was broadcast on Newstalk 106 – 108FM Easter Sunday April 21st at 7am and again on Bank Holiday Monday 22nd at 11am

 

Sound and Vision is a funding scheme for television and radio that provides funding in support of high quality programmes on Irish culture, heritage and experience, and programmes to improve adult literacy. The scheme is managed by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland.

Curious Broadcast is an arts-based broadcast studio that creates a space for innovation and cultural experimentation across all sectors. Curious Broadcast is based in Inchicore, Dublin 8.

Rachael Ryan explores what life is like for the siblings of people with additional needs in Ireland today

“When I get to spend a night in my sister’s home, we laugh and giggle like siblings do and her disability plays no part in that because it’s just one part of who she is, the same way I have my nuances and my challenges”.

Broadcasting on Newstalk 106-108fm this weekend, new Irish radio documentary ‘Siblings’, produced by Rachael Ryan, tells the story of five sibling relationships around Ireland today – where one brother or sister just happens to have an intellectual disability. These sibling relationships; while no different to any other are at the same time unique in their own way- this documentary captures these stories of friendship, compassion and love.

Being a sibling of a person with additional needs can be an emotional journey; but ultimately an incredibly rewarding experience which can shape an individual’s outlook on life, often for the better. Broadcaster Rachael Ryan, as the sister of a sibling with an intellectual disability, can vouch for that.

In this documentary she talks to Irish people at all stages of life about having a sibling who has additional needs - experiencing childhood with their brother or sister, learning about their needs, sharing their struggles, celebrating their highs and ultimately deciding what role they will play in their future.

Sinead Redmond shares her story of growing up with her sister Deirdre and how having a sibling with additional needs while growing up brought on “every emotion under the sun.” Graham Heritich, also known as the Cupcake Bloke, talks about his brother Patrick and how their close relationship has been made stronger since Patrick has started working at Graham’s bakery, “It’s normal - I have a job, you have a job, Patrick has a job.” Molly speaks about her sister Fran’s journey to independence and how both sisters mutually benefit from each other’s strengths.

While a recent study by Dr Máire Leane from UCC has highlighted the lack of support for adult siblings of people with intellectual disabilities, there are several groups in Ireland aiming to bridge this gap. Rachael Ryan talks to representatives from Sibshop Ireland and Inclusion Ireland about the important role siblings play in the lives of people with intellectual disabilities. This documentary also explores how areas like employment and Ireland’s social scene need to be challenged to become more inclusive for people with intellectual disabilities in Ireland today.

BROADCAST TIMES: Siblings will broadcast live on Newstalk 106-108fm on Sunday 14th April at 7am, with a repeat broadcast the following Saturday 20th April at 9pm

PODCAST: Podcast will be available on www.newstalk.com/podcasts after the first broadcast

CREDITS: Siblings was produced and presented by Rachael Ryan. Sound Editing was by Lochlainn Harte. This documentary was funded by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, with the television licence fee.

If you’d like to get in touch with any of the organisations mentioned in this documentary, here are some details:

Inclusion Ireland provide support and advocate for people with intellectual disabilities and their families, you can find out more information at inclusionireland.ie

Sibshop Ireland run workshops for children (aged 8-12) who have a brother or a sister with special needs who want to connect with others who are in similar situations. Find them on Facebook by typing in Sibshop Ireland.

‘That’s Life’ which runs ‘Bounce Nightclub’ is a personal development programme of the Brothers of Charity Services in Galway, find out more at thatslife.ie

Dr Máire Leane works at the school of Applied Social Studies at University College Cork, she carried out a study into the relationships, roles and support needs of adult siblings of people with intellectual disabilities in 2016. Find out more about UCC’s disability support service at https://www.ucc.ie/en/dss

Documentary on Newstalk producer J.J. O`Shea explores some of its unique Irish connections to the Caribbean Island of Montserrat.

This programme uses the story of the failed slave uprising in the Caribbean Island of Montserrat on March 17th 1768 as a springboard from which to explore Irish-Caribbean connections. The Caribbean story remains a relatively under researched aspect of our history, certainly in comparison to the diasporic story in America, and Monserrat is an obvious place from which to begin such an investigation given its unique and still very visible connections with Ireland. The Irish were the first European settlers on Montserrat in 1632. Place names such as Kinsale and Cork Hill and surnames such as Sweeney and Daly are still common on the island and the Maid of Erin and the Irish Harp are symbols that still adorn the national flag.

Expert historians, together with the presenter J.J. O`Shea, consider the multi layered nature of the Irish experience in Monserrat, and in the broader Caribbean, comparing the experience of the indentured servant who was brought to the Caribbean as a labourer, and who typically came from a background of severe poverty, with the experience of the more privileged Norman Irish and Anglo Irish who were able to profit from the colonial project. The programme also challenges the notion of the "Irish slave" which has gained credence in popular culture in recent years and which seeks to equate the harsh experience of the Irish indentured servant with that of the brutal and inhuman treatment meted out to the African chattel slave. It is shown how white supremacist groups have adopted the myth of the “blue eyed slave” to serve their own divisive agenda.

St Patrick`s Day was initially instigated as a national holiday on Montserrat in order to commemorate the failed rebellion of 1768 and we learn of the controversy that surrounds the celebrations today because the focus of the event has steadily shifted over recent years towards an emphasis on the island`s Irish connections, rather than the African, in order to attract Irish-American visitors. We also discover the initial results of the very first group study of ethnicity on Montserrat using DNA tests.

"The St. Patrick`s Day Rebellion" was Produced and Presented by J.J. O`Shea. This programme was supported by a grant from the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, as part of the Sound and Vision Scheme.

 

Henry McKean travels to the Middle East to capture the excitement, tears of joy and Arabic welcome in the heart of the desert as Team Ireland reach new highs in their 12 sports. The 91 athletes from across Ireland compete against 7000 athletes from 200 countries. Capture the warmth and love as McKean brings you on a journey of heroes and success against the odds. 'Meet the Determined.'

Out of the River and the Fields is a journey deep into the dark heart of the Irish countryside in the company of men with an extraordinary affinity to local wildlife – members of a wider family who, for generations, poached trout, by various means, and who now lamp foxes for local farmers in lambing season. The piece is structured as a story in which the narrator chances upon one of the men, asks to record their conversation, and is then drawn into their nocturnal, peripheral world, where trout are snared and otherwise poached, foxes lamped, peregrine falcons admired and every living creature discussed in the rich local idiom. Not an interview-driven piece, this documentary is recorded and sculpted as a real-time audio experience in which conversation, among other things, simply happens.

CREDITS: Out of the River and the Fields was written, recorded, produced and edited by Éamon Little. Sound mixing was by Alan Kelly. Funded via the Sound & Vision Scheme, Broadcasting Authority of Ireland.

ABOUT THE PRODUCERS: Éamon Little is a film-maker, screenwriter, radio documentary maker and sound recordist, who lives in Co. Galway with his wife and two children. He is currently adapting for screen John McGahern’s last novel, That They May Face the Rising Sun, for director Pat Collins, and developing his own international film documentary on the amazing story of the violin bow. His next radio piece will be on the Owenduff river in west Mayo.

Content flag: The programme contains content which some listeners may find disturbing. No animals were harmed in the making of this programme.

Tracing the footsteps of Irish emigrants to Newfoundland

In our latest Documentary on Newstalk, International award-winning Producer Nuala Macklin, travels to Newfoundland, the most North Easterly point in North America, to trace the footsteps of Irish emigrants who set out from Waterford in the early 18th century to make their fortunes…IN:Big Wind - Big Sea - Big Welcome

BROADCAST DATES:  Big Wind - Big Sea - Big Welcome will air on Newstalk 106-108FM on Sunday February 17th at 7am, Repeated Saturday February 23rd at 9pm.

Our Newfoundland - Ireland connection can be traced back as far as 1715; long before the Great Famine had ever touched our lands. Thousands of young Irish boys and men embarked on the often treacherous Atlantic crossing from 'The Port of Waterford' to St, John's Harbour in Newfoundland. The big lure was seasonal work in Newfoundland's prosperous cod-fishing industry. Taking their Irish cultural blueprint with them, eventually, many of these Irish began to settle in this harsh but rewarding environment - creating what is often regarded as 'Ireland's 33rd county'. This little patch of Ireland and its heritage, exists along the Avalon Peninsula to this very day.

For more than 50 years now, the passionate and tireless efforts of Galway man, Professor John Mannion (St. John's Memorial University) and his Kildare-born wife Maura, have created a phenomenal legacy for Ireland and the Newfoundland Irish. They've compiled an archive which contains over 80,000 handwritten documents which traces the paths of every Irish soul who emigrated to Newfoundland and their Irish roots since 1750. Known as 'The Mannion Papers', this unique archive means that every Newfoundland inhabitant of Irish decent, can trace their roots right back to the parish and burial spot in Waterford, Tipperary, Carlow and surrounds going back as far as 1715 from whence their ancestors embarked.

In her usual colourful style, international award-winning Producer, Nuala Macklin, explores the fascinating history, similarities and contrasts which exist between the two places (Ireland & Newfoundland). With its exceptional line-up of interviewees and other magical elements, this deeply emotional, entertaining and highly informative audio excursion, preserves a precious, beautiful and vital part of our Irish heritage.

BROADCAST DATES:  Big Wind - Big Sea - Big Welcome will air on Newstalk 106-108FM on Sunday February 17th at 7am, Repeated Saturday February 23rd at 9pm.

CREDITS: Big Wind - Big Sea - Big Welcome was recorded and produced by Nuala Macklin, with Sound Editing by Declan Quinn. John Cullen was the Production Assistant. This programme was funded by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland with the Television Licence fee.

MUSIC CREDITS: Debut broadcast of anchor soundtrack for this programme is 'Mo Anagaire' from Irish Composer - Damien Gallagher's latest album - Alanú

The BAI Sound And Vision Scheme: Sound and Vision is a funding scheme for television and radio that provides funding in support of high quality programmes on Irish culture, heritage and experience, and programmes to improve adult literacy. The scheme is managed by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland.